Mysterious Connections
by godavariflowsby
Summary: A new member of the Shane Gang, Rose is quite the girl the team needs - Sharp, Swift, Agile and Clever - a deadly combination. But the Shane Gang have no idea as to who she is, where she's come from. The only proof they depend on is blood - Eli and Rose are siblings. Eli is sure about it and the others believe it. But when she isn't who they think she is, Who is she?
1. Unknown Relations

**Hi there,**

 **This is my first fan fiction for SlugTerra. And, as you can see, I am very excited. Maybe it may seem to you that this is how all Fan fictions start, but each one of them is different. And so will be mine. Warning –if you haven't heard of a few caverns or places, don't worry (I make up some of them!) This happens before the ghoul-from-beyond and Return-of-the-elementals movies or ("long episodes" the way some call it) –So no Junjie. I don't support Elixie although to be honest I don't find a better pair for Eli than Trixie (as of now and I didn't watch Eastern Caverns). So there is an Elixie for this FanFic. XD**

 **Maybe some times the spelling is wrong or that is how I heard it. Please do not hesitate to correct my spelling mistakes.**

 **Anyways ... Read, Review, Follow and Favourite it.**

 **Thank you.**

* * *

 **ELI**

"Trixie, left!" I yelled.

"On it," Trixie answered as she took my left and front. Our Mechas were upgraded thanks to our Engineer-cum-mechanic Kord Zane. The Shane gang had got a new mission and that had kept us busy the whole morning. Trixie showed me a message that the SlugTerra museum had a theft and that they needed us to get back what was stolen. A precious map had been stolen, they had told us. And the one who stole was, (really, did it have to be them,)The Twins- Locke and Lode.

Lucky for us, it wasn't some Dr. Blakk Jr. or someone. Seriously, I had enough of Dark Water and Ghouls. It was nearly a month since the Shane gang along with the help of the Shadow Clan defeated Dr. Blakk and that he was sucked into the deep caverns with that stupid portal he made to bring dark Bane into SlugTerra. That seriously was the most idiotic plan I had ever heard.

"Hello?" Trixie snapped her fingers in front of me. "Back to the present, mister. What were you thinking anyways?" She asked me. As always (which began a month ago) I was so intrigued by Trixie, her red hair pulled into two pigtails, her green eyes and pale skin just captivated me like the way, my dad, Will Shane had fallen for my mom. I had been too young back then, about ten years, to understand love. But now I wished that I could hear that story once again, knowing what it felt to be in love.

"Just that this is one of the most insane things I have done since I landed here." I grinned.

"Yes it is. That's what the Shane gang does." She smiled at me as she gave a lying kiss to me. We had begun going out for about three weeks now. The others, Kord and Pronto had begun teasing us since Trixie and I had our first kiss.

My sixteenth birthday was a big bash (against my wish, naturally) it was a week after we defeated Dr. Blakk. Trixie had gifted me my gift in the end after Kord gave me a Device that put me in contact with anyone in the whole of the 99 caverns and Pronto gifted me a Dish he had made especially for me (and I said thanks but no thanks) Trixie had gifted me a band that put me in touch with all of the other members of the Shane gang (she had made for the others too) and leaned forward and kissed me on the lips.

That's it. Blood shot through my face. We broke apart and to my relief (and awkwardness,) she too was blushing. You can imagine what happened next. Kord messed up my room to such an extent that I could not stand in that room for more than a minute. He had somehow made me and Trixie spend our first romantic night together. I mean we spent time late in the night together working on projects and answering fan mail that came for me (man, it was so embarrassing when she read it).

The firing of a blaster woke me from that memory. Kord fired a Grenuke but he missed the twin by a mile.

"Sorry 'bout that. Miscalculations," Kord apologised. I shook my head and raced ahead. Trixie was a little ahead of me. Cramps had begun to form in my neck and I twisted it a little to ease myself. When I turned to my right, I saw a figure riding parallel to us. The figure turned its head to look at us and I got a fright: the eyes were blood-red. Crimson red.

The figure Looked at me and the eyes widened in fear. The next moment it was gone. I scanned the area once again but the figure had disappeared completely.

"Trix, change of plans. I'm taking a separate route. Meet you guys in the front, by the southern gorge. Go ahead." I ran off on my Mecha behind the mysterious-Mecha-rider before any of the Shane gang could reply to me. I knew Trixie would be frustrated with me. I was not a sort of the person who would actually go with the plan, because most of our plans backfire upon us and we just improvise on our situation, which happened to be lucky for us.

It was quite some time before I realized that I had been riding for what felt like hours and that I was stuck in the Jungle cavern. Exactly what I wanted. Then the figure darted in front of me to my right and I sped after the figure. I couldn't make what her Mecha was but that it was a Green and Black... cheetah?

The Red-eyed turned on me and shot a Grenuke at me, trying to distract me from him. I fired a few HopRocks in vain. Man, he did know his Slugs well; none of my slugs even touched him. I guess I was getting impatient because Burpy, my Infernus, came out of his Slug Tube and patted me gently on my neck. "Thanks, little guy. I needed a time out."

Taking a few deep breaths, I decided to change my tactics. Like I said, plan backfires, just improvise. I was getting good at such stuff, planning and all. But if my dad was here he would've given me a good reception regarding this dangerous habit of mine. The thought of my dad scolding me, ironically, brought a smile to my lips, the thought actually making me want to laugh. I shot a HopRock a little ahead of her, judging the approximate speed and stance of the Slinger in the next minute. And my work paid off, just as HopRock hit the Cheetah Mecha in the Hind leg. (Really, a Cheetah?) But like many of my amazing endeavours due to my inexperience, this plan too backfired but not in a it-backfired-onto-me sort of way; instead just a moment before the HopRock blasted the Mecha in the leg, the Slinger arched himself, did a back-flip and, Floppers, she shot a Phosphoro at me, achieving her goal of distracting me. When I got my senses back, I was in a Jellyish muck, unable to move my hands or feet. For a minute when I felt dazed, it all came back to me. When the Slinger fired a Phosphoro at me, distracting me, he had also shot a Jellyish when I was distracted, entrapping me in the endless Slush of Slime. And he was standing over me, except that it wasn't a He but _a_ _She_.

* * *

I knew it. I had gone mad. A girl couldn't sling so well, at least not any girl I had met. Diana was different, being the daughter of Tom Por, an ex-friend of my dad and an awesome Slinger. Trixie was my girl friend, and being a Newbie, I didn't think that telling she is a good Slinger would be a waste of time because of two reasons- 1) She is a very good Slinger (naturally), and 2) Without her, we couldn't have defeated Dr. Blakk .

But this one stared at me like an X-Ray machine. I knew I had completely messed it up when I saw her eyes Narrow in irritation when I gave her an apologetic smile and a small sorry. Along with her scary Blood-Like-eyes, she had long straight back hair and a little tanned skin, quite a contrast to my Midnight blue hair and blue eyes. The only blue the two of us shared was Her Tank Top and my eyes. Underneath her Tank-Top She wore another Black High Neck top, leaving her tanned Shoulders bare. She knelt down beside me and, swiftly, pulled my Blaster out of me reach. My awesome defender Slipstream XVL was in the hands of a mad slinger who, till now as a grace, hadn't finished me yet.

"Wow. Expensive. Stole it from someone, huh?" She asked pointing the Blaster at me. Imagine how I felt at that!

"No, that is _my_ Blaster." I confirmed in a trying-not-to-tear-her-apart way.

"A Shane's Blaster? You mean to tell me _this_ is _your_ blaster." I could see that she was trying hard not to laugh and I didn't feel funny about it.

"Yes, it is my blaster. Now could you please ... ugh ..." I struggled, but it was of no use. "Take me out of this mess awkward girl."

"Call me Rose. Are you the Shane?" She asked obtaining a babysitter's voice, trying to coo me. But what caught my attention was her name. There weren't many people who named their kids Rose, and they naturally didn't know about what it was. But She, _Rose,_ I mentally corrected myself, had said her name in a regal way, as if she knew what it was. Could it be ... I decided against it; the probability was too vague.

"Yes, I am. I'm Eli Shane."

She gave the most hysterical laugh. Then Burpy somehow sneaked out, by blazing a bit of the Smile on my right shoulder, burning me partly in the process, making me wish for a billionth time that I were a slug.

Burpy put himself on fire and burnt her Combat boots causing her to yell in pain. When she looked down, ready to swat the Problem, she paused in utter confusion, staring at the Infernus, unable to make out anything, which I took as an opportunity not to miss.

"See? I _am_ the Shane. Now will you let me out?" I struggled once again and looked at her. Her red eyes that had scared the Dark Caverns out of me, now was full of utter disbelief. She looked at me, frowned, and then looked at Burpy, and frowned again. Then she stared at me for such a long time, I felt my cheeks flush deep red.

When she finally made the connection, she gasped and hastily fired a Bubbalone at me, freeing me from nearly an hour of immobility. I stretched for some time and put Burpy on my shoulder. Then I turned to her.

"Whatever was that for?" I demanded.

She lowered her eyes in shame and guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it. I was going to be the next Shane but you came now so -" Then she grew alert and turned her head so fast, I didn't follow it. When I followed her gaze, she was looking at a Gorge in the far off, and that's when I realised, something that had silently moved to the back of my head. I looked at Burpy, and from his reaction, I was sure he too had forgotten about it.

"Trixie," I exhaled.

"Come," Rose gestured to me. I didn't have any other option so I followed. Lucky for her that her Mecha wasn't damaged by my HopRock. After the forgiveness-es were asked and were given, we set off. Rose led me through a series of labyrinthine routes I hadn't found myself. Sometimes leaves of bushes smacked into my face as Rose, ahead, pushed them aside. Then in the middle, when a clearing came, she stopped and slowly crossed over to the other side. She motioned me to get off my Mecha and gestured me to stay low. She tossed me a 4 inch thick rope that she asked me to hold.

Then she told me the plan.

* * *

I was able to feel the ground vibrate for some reason. I looked at Rose. All the surprise in her crimson eyes on knowing I was the Shane had disappeared. She was now that girl I had first seen, calm composed and unnervingly cool. She looked at me and nodded, _it's time_. It was what I had guessed it to be: Mechas.

Just as they were seen over the horizon, I asked Rose, "Now?"

She shook her head, _no_.

Again a minute later I asked and this time she knit her slim eyebrows in annoyance. I could see that I had offended her and I didn't take any chances to offend her even more. I had a taste of that medicine a long time ago.

Then when it was just thirty seconds to put Plan-Alpha into action, she pulled the rope taut and our first victim tripped over it: Locke. The sound of metal on the ground was horrible to the ear, so horrible that I had to shut my ear and Burpy too did the same. A minute later as I stood up, still rubbing my ear, a missile shot out of nowhere and I was tackled by a Cave Troll and Molenoid, crushing me to leave me breathless (no, I mean really breathless, out of air, literally) Trixie pulled out the map out of Locke's hand and gave it to me as she leaned over and gave a peck on the cheek.

"You scared the hell out of us." Trixie smiled. Just as we had done destroying the map by setting fire to it, the Stalagmite 17 guards came and took Locke away.

"Where's Lode?" I asked.

"Don't know. They split up sometime in the middle of the chase."Trixie answered.

"Guys, you got to meet Rose. Rose -"I faltered when I saw that Rose wasn't there anywhere. "Rose?" I looked around. She was nowhere.

"Eli, is everything -"Trixie began

"Rose!" I yelled as I followed the path Rose took. I began slashing through the bushes with my blaster. Behind me Kord, Trixie and Pronto followed calling out my name.

I came to a wide clearing and spun around looking for her. The other Shane Gangers stared at me. I yelled once again, cupping my hands around my mouth. "ROSE!"

A blaster fired somewhere to my left and as I turned, a figure stood in front of me, arms spread out, her back to me. In the background, Trixie's eyes widened in Horror as she shut her mouth. Kord and pronto too were stunned. i saw that Lode, had fired the GeoShard and was grinning mischievously at me before he absconded away. He was right now the least of my problems.

Rose fell onto her knees and I managed to hold her as she touched the ground. I rolled her onto her back as the Shane gang made their way towards me.

"Eli is that ..."Trixie asked.

Rose's body was completely Frozen and Geoshard-ed. Rose opened her eyes slightly and called his name out for the first time. It was a hoarse whisper "Eli," before her eyes rolled up and she fainted.

"Yeah, it's her." My voice was hoarse. I remembered something she had told from my first encounter –"I _was going to be the next Shane, but you came so,"_

And I realised something I hadn't noticed. My voice was guilty as I spoke.

"She's Rose. Rose _Shane_ "

* * *

 **And that's it. Yep. Same old starting, but different start. All OCs not mine. Just Rose and the Villian(and no, i am not telling the name). Slugterra is owned by Nerd Corps, not me.**

 **Thank you.**


	2. Her Story

**Hi everyone,**

 **Wishing you all a good day.**

 **I actually thought of deleting this Fan Fiction because I didn't get any reviews on whether it is good or bad, (and no, I am not in depression) I know that it was too early for following or favourite-ing but still...**

 **I would like to thank** **Awesomebro75** **for his really, really, really valuable review.**

 **This Chapter is dedicated to you.**

* * *

 **ROSE**

Weird shadows chased me as I ran blindly here and there. Her voice replayed in my head, her last words ringing in my head as I helplessly made my way through the darkness. " _You promised me, Rose. Don't break your word._ "

All of a sudden I twitched and, feeling nauseous, fell forward, my hands reaching out for anything as a support. My hand made contact with a warm pulse beating irregularly underneath the wrist of a hand. When I looked up, smiling in gratefulness at the one who had given me solace in that hateful place, I shrieked; Eli stood there giving a ghoulish smile. His hands were lifeless and the blue-green veins were contrasting against the pale brown tan of his hand. His eyes were ghouled, red and lifeless, unlike my crimson ones. I also noticed that _my_ hands looked a lot like his, except that it was slimmer than his.

" _This is what you led me to, Rose._ " Her voice spoke in the background. " _Only if you had listened to me -_ "

A cold wave spread over me, raising my hair on its ends. I gasped and opened my eyes. I was in a dimly, fluorescent lit room. I blinked; it was only a dream. I exhaled a breath as I observed my surroundings. I was lying on a bed and a computer ran beside my feet. There was a damp cloth on my forehead. Also there was someone looking over me.

The blue light did enough to highlight the features. The red-head had green eyes and she smiled at me.

When she spoke all Hell got lose. The years of getting stalked, kidnapped and tortured had given me experience and immediate reflexes I needed to fight my way through.

"How are you feeling?"She asked, putting her hand on my shoulder in a friendly gesture, and I acted.

The next moment I had her pinned on the floor in an awkward and painful position. Before I could stop her, she let out a grotesque scream that somehow reminded me of a girl screaming in a horror film I had seen with my father. I had a moment to assess my position. When she had put her hand on my left shoulder, I had pulled at it with my right and as she fell forward, my left hand reached out for her left arm, pinning it on her back, it touching her shoulder blade. And in that position she lay on the floor, motionless and screaming. I did nothing to stop her. I needed to know if anyone else was with her. My questions were answered when I felt the floor vibrate and the door opening to let in two creatures.

One was obviously a cave troll. His blue skin and abnormally huge build confirmed it. Behind the cave troll was a smaller figure I recognised to be a peach coloured Molenoid in a striped shirt with a yellow helmet on his head. The cave troll's eyes widened in horror as he drank in the situation and the Molenoid lowered his eyes in sadness, lowering his helmet and shaking his head.

"A great soul has left Pronto. May dear Trixie's soul rest in peace." He spoke as if at some funeral. And Trixie was still screaming, yelling and fidgeting under me, very much alive.

As I gave Pronto the Molenoid an awkward, weird look, the cave troll too turned his head and the both of us yelled at the same time, "Shut up, Pronto!"

Another set of steps echoed through the floor. I wasn't able to concentrate on the steps to figure out the person thanks to Trixie writhing in pain beneath me. I slowly realised that she wasn't going to harm me and that I could leave her free.

As I got up, letting her free, another person entered the room. This one was clearly a human and I knew exactly who he was.  
"Eli," I breathed. Trixie had gone silent as she lay on the floor, too injured to move.

"Kord, take her downstairs. I'll meet you in a minute." Eli instructed the Cave troll as he made his way to me. "Explain. Everything. Now."

Both Kord and Pronto made their way out, Pronto shutting the door softly behind him.

I looked at Eli. He was angry, clearly. And I didn't know what to do.

I said simply, "In self defence." He gave me his best look of disbelief.

"In self Defence." He repeated and then stared at me. "I can't believe you."

"Trust me. Nobody does. And I don't blame you." I said as I sat down on the bed. "Eli, I wasn't brought up the way you were. You lived somewhere safe, away from all of this." I said pointing out around me. "It was necessary for me to use self defence because I could have been the victim of a threat. There was a time I lived with Dad."

" _Was_?" he asked me, eyes full of compassion and understanding. I just couldn't believe that just five minutes ago, he had been angry with me.

"Yeah, was. But then once when he said he wouldn't come home that night, and I spent the night alone, two people broke into our house. Finding me alone in the bed, sleeping soundly, they carried me away and I didn't even know it."

"Like, in Kidnapped?" Eli asked. He was listening to me faithfully, his blue eyes giving me solace and courage to go on. I gave a sad smile before I continued on.

"Yes. Then when Dad came home and he didn't find me, he began searching for me. He didn't find me for three days. The people who kidnapped me knew I had to be someone important, living with him and all. When Will Shane found me, I was weak and tired. They had done horrible things to me Eli, horrible things you can't even imagine. They tied me up, gagged while they kept me hungry and -" I choked, unable to go on. Eli sat beside me and put an arm on my shoulder.

"I get it. Then Dad sent you away, didn't he?" Eli spoke, caressing my back. Then he realised. "That's the reason he didn't let me sling until I was fifteen."

"Maybe," I sniffed. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen. You?"

"Eighteen." I answered, and then smiled seeing his shocked expression before continuing the story. "He sent me to an old friend he trusted." I paused before I continued. "Shanai."

The look on his face was as if I had frozen him solid. "Shanai? You mean like the _Unbeatable Master_?"

"Yes. I learnt these tricks from her. Then when I turned fifteen, ready to Sling, I visited the Shane Hideout. But -" Eli cut me in.

"Dad wasn't there. He had disappeared." Eli completed my story.

"I managed to live my life, smoothly, sharpening my talents against others. But I knew I had to wait for some more time. Blakk wanted to recruit me."

"Then?" Eli prompted. I marvelled at his ability to get information out of anyone.

"When I refused, he made me promise that I wouldn't come in his way and wouldn't turn against him. I just had to live my life. "

"Now he's gone. You can sling again too. My friend Mario too had a similar promise. But now he slings too." Eli smiled.

"I can. And I know it. How else do you think I was able to sling so well?" Then I laughed hard. Real hard. It felt good.

"Then I'll just let you fresh up." Eli stood up.

"I miss him." I said, making him stop. Then he turned around.

"I too miss him a lot." Eli said before walking out and closing the door. I could see that he had been disturbed and decided not to provoke him anymore with my stories.

I just shook my legs before getting up. I realised that I was in an old grey shirt and shorts. My dress was neatly folded on the seat under a bag which, when opened, revealed new toiletries and a brush. Instinctively, I ran a hand through my knotted hair. I then had a brief shower and put on my own comfortable clothes.

I was done brushing my hair seeing my reflection in the mirror, when a photograph caught my attention. A photo of Will and Eli as a child. As I held the photo I began crying. I ran my fingers lightly over Will Shane. "I am sorry. I am so sorry, Will."

* * *

 **I wanted to so continue but apparently I crossed my 1.5k word limit. So please, like favourite, follow and review.**

 **Thanks for everything.**


	3. Fixing Bonds

**I would like to inform my readers that hereon, the chapters will be changing between Eli's POV and Rose's POV. I can't promise that the Chapters will be alternating but I prefer to write from Eli's POV because there is a lot to know about Rose.**

 **Love you guys. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **ELI**

As I made my way out of the room, I just couldn't believe that Rose was older than me, by a whole two years! I was again the younger one: Trixie was older than me by a month. Kord and Pronto were adults, in their own way.

 _Shanai_ , _the_ _Unbeatable_ _Master_ _was_ _her_ _teacher_! That actually explained why she came in search of a new student, those months ago. Rose's training was over. I then smack my head with my hand.

"Floppers, I forgot to ask her about her name." I cried out. Her name was something that intrigued me. Rose was a really, really, totally uncommon name, the name of a flower not found in SlugTerra, but on the surface. I wanted to know if she'd been to the Surface or no. Of now, only the Shane gang knew about it. It was actually interesting to know if anyone else was there, who knew about the World above SlugTerra.

"Eli?" Kord's unsure voice rang out.

"Yeah?"

"Dr. Sting has come." Kord replied as the creaking of a door opening rang through the house. Dr. Sting was, well, a doctor. Also he was Trixie's dad. So he was our best choice.

As I climbed down, I saw that Trixie was lying on the couch, eyes closed. Luckily, I noticed, she wasn't groaning or grunting. She seemed peaceful like –

 _Okay, that's enough._ I stopped. Then I folded my hands.

"Beatrice, Honey?" Dr. Sting leant towards Trixie, his hand on her forehead. Trixie just groaned lightly, eyes still closed.

Kord made his way towards me. "Rose?" He asked.

I flicked my eyes upstairs and filled him in everything Rose had told me. His reaction was a bit more extravagant than mine.

"The Unbeatable Master!" he rubbed his hands in glee. "Shucks, Eli! You can learn her techniques from Rose."

I was grinning as I watched him give a wide smile, a smile that was reserved only for great Breakthroughs in technology and breakthroughs that were mostly useful for Mechanics.

"A sprained wrist, that's all." Dr. Sting spoke. He was silent doing his stuff, bandaging Trixie's wrist, refraining it from doing any movements, filling in vials and prescribing something for Trixie. Cave Troll, please get this from the store." He told Kord. Dr. Sting never called a Cave Troll by their name, neither did he insult them. Most Cave Trolls were simple living a life of peace, enjoying their lives, Kord for an example.

"Eli, I need to know. How? When? Why?" Dr. Sting asked as he put his stuff into his simple brown bag, that somewhat reminded me of a woman's hand bag. I decided not to mention that.

As I filled him in, his eyes widened. That was natural that he now had thought of Rose as a walking-talking killing machine. At the end all he said was, "I want to meet her."

I made my way upstairs to her room, knocked once, then twice. Hearing no response, I called out "Rose," once and turned the knob.

"I am here." Rose's voice came from somewhere behind me. I spun around, and she was standing there behind me, her hand rubbing her other arm in a sorry way. She had pursed her lips and looked ashamed. Her red eyes were magnified and her face was puffy, as if she was just done crying.

"Rose, you okay?" I asked her.

"Yeah," She gave a nod.

"Good, there is someone downstairs who wants to meet you." I informed her. Rose's eyes widened in fear. "Hey, hey. It's okay. Trixie's just sprained her wrist..." I paused as I noticed something else. "... just like you said."

"I knew what I was doing, Eli." Rose spoke. "I didn't mean to hurt her, just injure her to an extent she wouldn't be able to harm me."

"Looks like it worked." I gave a weak smile. Her features too brightened as she returned the smile. Then I spoke. "Listen, after this we'll spend some quality brother-sister time together, Okay? There is a cafe down in the Northern Caverns. We could go there."

"That's nice." She nodded, but I could still see that she was apprehensive regarding the plan.

"Relax, nothing's going to happen." I tried to pacify her, but then she smiled at me. "We are taking our blasters and slugs that's it." Eli's Infernus, the one I had seen with will Shane hopped onto his shoulder. "Ain't that right, Burpy?" The slug chirped in response.

I laughed. "I am fine, Eli. Now let's go and see this new guest who has come to visit me."

* * *

On seeing him, she was hesitant to go and talk to Dr. Sting. I slid my hands through hers and squeezed it. She returned the squeeze. "Go," I whispered and she walked towards the doctor.

"Eli, this is your sister?" Dr. Sting asked.

When I nodded, he added. "She is beautiful, just like her brother." Rose blushed fully as the doctor took her and in his and kissed the back of her hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," Rose replied.

Then Trixie's dad, turned to me. "Do you mind if we speak somewhere private?"

"Nope, not at all. You can talk in the back garage. I'll stay here with Trixie." I answered.

Satisfied, the doctor, with Rose's help made his way slowly to the garage. Just a few days ago, Trixie had confided in me that she was worried for her father. He had been working overtime, and today I could see why. Every step sent pain shudders down his spine and he wheezed a lot. When he wheezed that time, Rose turned to me, hesitant. I nodded, understandingly. She then held the doctors hands gently and they disappeared into the room. A faint voice snapped me back from my thoughts.

"Eli?" Trixie called out.

"Trix, how are you feeling now?" I asked, sitting down on the carpet underneath the couch, massaging her hands. "Is there any pain?"

"What about my hand?" Trixie asked me back, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Your Dad said that you'd sprained your wrist." _Just like Rose had said,_ I thought. "A week of rest and you'll be using your hand, don't worry."

"I am not worried about that." She blinked at me as she straightened herself against the armrest of the blue-grey couch. "I am worried about him." We had again touched that topic. Dr. Sting. "I am worried for him. Where is he?" She looked around.

"He's with Rose. Wanted to know why she did all of that to you."

"What? Why did she go with him?" her reaction was expected. "Where's Kord? And Pronto?"

"Kord, went to the store to get your medicines. Oh look he's here." I said as the blue figure of Kord Zane made its way to us, a brown paper bag hanging delicately from his forearm.

"How is my favourite Tech girl?" Kord asked as he passed the bag to me and then sat down beside her. Relieved of my shift, I got up and walked to the Kitchen, putting the bag there when I heard voices.

"You need to be careful, Rose. Such amazing talents will not go unheard. There must be many who envy you." Dr. Sting spoke.

"Yes," Rose voice came out.

"Make sure you don't publicise your talents. It could be dangerous for you." Dr. Sting spoke.

And Rose answered. "I know."

There was some shuffling of feet and the footsteps echoed through the room. They were coming back. I rushed into the kitchen, my hands searching for something to do, to make sure I was not caught eavesdropping. I found a few instant noodles and just decided to heat them up for the others.

Then they came out.

"Dad," Trixie spoke and I looked up. Trixie had twisted her body and she was looking over the Couch back rest.

"Beatrice, take care." The father caressed his daughter's cheek before walking out.

"Dad, why are you going so soon?" Trixie once again spoke. And surprisingly her voice was unsure.

"You are not my only patient today. There are others too. But I will drop in by once this week again." The doctor smiled.

"Okay," Trixie bit her lip, still unsure. She was now standing, her right hand in bandages and her left hand on the couch's armrest for support. Rose was silent. I walked to her and put an arm on her shoulder.

"Everything went well? You're silent."

She nodded. Then spun around, looking at me. "I was thinking about him."

I talk to my girl friend about her father's health. And then I talk to my sister regarding our father. I smiled inwardly.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just a thought." I decided to ask her something. "Can you cook?"

"What?"She looked at me for a long moment before answering, probably thinking of a suitable reply. "Can Molenoids track? Can Cave Trolls build and fix? Of course I can!"

"Perfect. Cook something delicious for me I am starving?" I asked her, rubbing my belly.

She gave me a smile and headed off to the kitchen. Trixie was now resting in her room. The room where Rose had slept was a spare room. _Well, now that's her room._ I decided.

In a half an hours' time a wonderful smell was coming from the kitchen and Rose's welcoming voice calling out, "Stew's ready!"

* * *

 **Okay, I crossed my limit of 1.5k words. Well, this isn't the end. There is more.**

 **Anyways, expect the next chapter within a week and a half from now.**

 **Have a great time!**


	4. Time Together

**Hi guys,**

 **Wishing everyone a good time. So, back to SlugTerra I see. Of late I was busy with other fandom and college too. So I might take a while to sort it out. Doesn't matter now- you just got a new chapter so...**

 **It would be right to bring it to your notice that I have no idea, whatsoever regarding the cuisine of SlugTerra except for Casserole, Sarsaparilla and Pizza, so I will be making my own.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **ROSE**

Immediately after we had a scrumptious meal of Stew, Eli pulled me to the Northern Cavern cafe whose name I'd forgotten. On the way he did nothing but talk and talk and talk, praising me like I was Max Jackson or someone. Who'd want to compare me to Max? Besides, Eli hated Max for some reason.

"What do you want to eat?" Eli asked, turning back. He was leading and I was following him slowly, my head hung low, still thinking about Will Shane. "You, okay?" He asked.

Almost immediately, I lifted my head and wiped my eyes. I gave a hasty nod, "Yeah,"

"You don't look okay." He decided and turned around murmuring something, while I wiped my tears quickly. "Wait, you're not thinking about _him_ , are you?" he asked, his head snapping back.

"No, Yes, maybe?" I answered.

"Oh, please stop." He face palmed. "My girlfriend is talking about her father and here, you are talking about Dad. Please stop for a moment!" he yelled, startling me. Usually he wouldn't yell like that. Eli had a sort of controlled patience that I envied a lot, seeing that I was that sort of person who couldn't bear to have patience. Half my life was on the run, I didn't have my mom; she died when I was really young.

When I gasped, he lifted his head and looked at me; he was crying, the tears shining like a star. "I am sorry, for that outburst. I really get that when I am stressed."

"What are you stressed about?" I asked as I got down my Mecha and walked to his, then holding his hand.

"A new enemy, a problem for SlugTerra." He got down and let me massage his hand. His face was all puffy and red. I wiped his tears gently and then he held my wrists bringing my hands down. Then he sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "People I meet, they pity me. I know they mean well but, seriously it is a bit irritating. I miss Dad too. Only if I had a chance to see him again," He again began.

"Eli," I cupped my hands around his face, he was tall. I had to nearly stand on my toes and it was tough seeing that I was wearing boots. "Will Shane is never gone. He's right here." I said pushing my palm lightly onto his heart that was just beneath the star on his shirt. "He's looks upon us, from wherever he is. He guides us, making us strong on the inside. He helps us overcome our problems in times of difficulty."

"I know," he said, then gently moved away. "So, cafe?"

"Uh, no." I smiled at his questioning look. "A cafe will only make it worse. I know my brother better." I loaded my blaster and fired a Bubbalone at him, which he dodged, stepping aside.

"Oh, I see. Fine then, I challenge you, Rose Shane."

I flinched on hearing my name. To be frank, I hated it. He first shot a HopRock at me, which I easily dodged, considering my abilities. I grinned as he loaded his blaster. In a minute I had a plan I knew that wouldn't fail.

* * *

He just stared at me as I ran away. I knew I must have looked like a freak idiot at that moment. He then began following me, calling my name out. We were heading towards the edge of our cliff and to fall off it, was my plan. I heard Eli gasp on seeing me fall, headfirst off the edge. I was waiting, although I knew that if I timed it wrong, I could possible die. And I couldn't let down anyone. As he leaned over cupping his mouth and yelling my name, I fired a SpeedStinger that shot off the edge of the cliff, then a cavern stalactite and then a mushroom. My plan was working well, _he_ didn't time it properly and I got the advantage. I shot a Phosphoro slug right into his face and then a Jellyish. I was still plummeting down and I knew I was at a depth of a Hundred feet already. I heard a Thud! And a Gah! loudly and my SpeedStinger, 'Cross' who was still in the Trick shot mode, came racing towards me. At the right moment I hung onto my Velocimorph, changing its direction at will before soaring upwards and landing beside Eli, who was covered in mushy slime of my Jellyish, 'Slime'.

"Argh! You got me again." He pouted as I freed him and held out my hand. "Don't you ever do that again. Do you have any idea how worried I became when you fell off that -"

"I know, it was a plan Eli. Just lis -" I tried to reason with him.

"No!" he yelled; I flinched. "Listen, if anything had happened to you, I wouldn't forgive myself. Please Rose -" I hugged him hard under his shoulder, cutting him off mid-speech.

"I wouldn't do that ever again, if it displeases you." I promised, hiding my face in his chest, "If I'd only known that it would scare you,"

He hugged me back, his hand caressing through my hair.

"It doesn't matter now. You're safe" he spoke. "Still, a no to cafe treat? My gold will go to waste." He asked when we pulled away.

Then I gave in. "Alright, maybe a cup of Coffee might lighten the mood."

Eli was really excited about our Brother-Sister time. I could see it from the way he asked me about my likes and dislikes, favourite movies and sports. His eyes shone when he got to know about my love for Slug Ball, the ball game.

"Excellent, the next game is next week, we all could go together." He rubbed his hands in glee while I drank my Coffee silently, my eyes all the time on my little brother. We were sitting in the cafe; he had chosen a window seat for me and had settled right opposite to me. The slugs were playing on the seat and table, almost tripping my Coffee over.

"Eli, please go ahead without me." I hated breaking his heart. But I had other things to do, things, best if they were kept a secret. Besides, Eli was stressed but he was still spending time with me.

"Why?" he frowned. "Is something wrong?" he asked, stretching out and holding my hand.

"Nothing much." I freed my hand and placed down my empty coffee cup. "A few, deals I was doing."

"You go ahead, I'll come later, okay?" I pushed his Slugs, Burpy, Joules, his Tazerling, and Chiller, his Frost Crawler towards him. Seeing this, my Slugs, Slime, Cross and Light, jumped into their Slug barrels.

"You'll be fine, right?" Eli asked still unsure as his Slugs jumped into their Slug Tubes.

"I can't believe that you don't believe me. I am your big sister; I should be worried for you. Not the other way."

"But I am the Shane." He protested as I stood up, flexing my stiff muscles in the process. Having been sitting there for a long time, my foot had fallen asleep.

"Don't get your birthright in the way, Eli." I smiled as I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek. "I will be back soon." The barman looked at Eli, eyebrows raised in a questioning way as I made my way out.

The air was a little sweet and warm after spending time in an AC room for most of the day. Then I made my way to Sun Shine Cavern. Most of the times, if a new Slug species were to be found, a new Cavern appeared. And the speciality of this cavern was that the new Slug specimen was a Light Slug, that didn't release Fluorescent light like those of a Phosphoro, but a yellow light that released warmth along with light. New plants I had never seen before grew here and the Slugs were a bright yellow that preferred eating berries to other edibles.

"Alright, guys. We need to make it fast. He may not stay for long." I sighed as I took off on my cheetah. Eli had asked why I didn't name my vehicle too. I had found it a waste of time. Sure, I owe my cheetah a lot. But to name it, I felt, was a bit too over the borderline.

As I entered the new cavern, its light intensified, warming my insides, filling me with a pleasant joyfulness. All the trees were a new shade of green, unlike the other plants in Jungle cavern, that looked utterly lifeless when compared.

I rode slowly enjoying the warmth when an old man suddenly appeared in front of me, waving his hands.

"I see, you escaped that pest." He spoke, his voice rough and throaty. He had a flopper on his shoulder that wheezed every moment the man moved. The man itself was a big shame to SlugTerra. He wore dirty green pants and a mud brown shirt with a grey jacket. The sight itself was so compelling. His beard was a universal mess of whatever he had eaten that morning. I wanted to really throw up all that coffee I had drank.

"Don't insult him. He is way better than you." I managed to snap back. I loved Eli more than anyone else. He was now the only family I got.

"Oh, really?" the man spoke, trying to taunt me. This time his voice wasn't throaty or rough. Instead he spoke with a light manly voice.

"Enough chitchat. State your business." I ordered, coughing and gagging at his stench.

"You do know what she wants, Rose." He spoke. I looked at him. Instead of an old man, I saw a Blonde guy who couldn't be older than me. Wearing simple dark grey pants and a grey jacket over his white T-shirt, he was quite relaxed a he folded his arms. On his shoulder there stood a Thugglet. I hadn't seen one in years. The last one I had seen was the one Will Shane had trained himself. The warm light really brought out his features- a tanned face and bright teal eyes that shone in excitement. "She's expecting you with a report."

"Twist," I exhaled.

"She's expecting a report from you. Now." He stated, pointing his hand at me. "She wants it now."

* * *

 **Yes of course, the Twist.**

 **Twist is my favourite character and I felt a little awkward not including him in the story. So yes, he too is in the picture. I also assume that the myth of the Sun Shine cavern is that, like the name suggests, it is the only place where you can feel the sunlight's warmth and the only place with the closest connection to the Surface.**


	5. The Twist in the Story

**Hi there, it's wonderful to be back. Well, a new chapter has come. Rose's POV. So, what are you waitin' for? Read on!**

* * *

 **ROSE**

Twist led me through a labyrinthine route, I hadn't noticed before, when I'd been there. I had been there a few times for business-trade purposes, although I never stayed back to search secret routes .

"This, way." He pushed aside some leaves and there, underneath a few leaves, well-concealed, lay a laptop. And in the laptop, was her. It gave me chills to be standing in front of her although the distance between us was quite more than a few hours. I guessed she must be in one of her secret labs beneath the now destroyed Blakk citadel.

"What do you say, Rose?" She spoke, her voice like a hidden dagger, careful and silent until the last moment when it would stab one in the gut. I swallowed before replying. I sat down comfortably, putting the Laptop on my thigh. Easy to handle. Besides I needed experience for the near future.

"They trust me. Especially the Shane. He's gone bonkers over the thought of him having a sibling." i reported, keeping my voice as formal as possible.

"Why, aren't you?" She taunted knowingly. "Don't you share the same blood?" she knew my whole story, yet she wished to irritate me. And I couldn't do anything for that.

"We never had the same parents. I never met Eli's mom. Will Shane was never my biological father." I spoke, choosing my words carefully. I saw Twist widen his eyes and shock.

"Then why do you trust her?" he blurted out, then clamped his hand hard over his mouth. "Sorry," he muttered, lowering his eyes.

"Must I remind you that I know what I do, Shade?" she asked raising her eyebrows. In the computer she was wearing a lab-coat over a grey shirt. Her blue spectacles were the same shade of blue as Eli's hair. Her brown hair was tied up in a high bun and her olive eyes danced, teasingly. Twist flinched on hearing his surname. He never used it and I didn't believe that I never even realised it.

"You know the price at stake, Rose. I expect the plan to work out well, best if it is better." She spoke and the computer went off. She had disconnected.

I shut the computer down and hid it under the leaves, leaving it concealed the same way I had found it. No one would have believed that there was a gadget underneath the leaves. And if they did, there would be no chance of them finding it. Searching through the lush green leaves for the first ten layers or so will tire them and they'll give up.

"'Can't believe you're not a Shane." Twist muttered to himself, shaking his head. "I was thinking of killing you after the talk." He then looked at me.

"'Didn't know your surname." I smiled in an encouraging manner. "Twist Shade. Sounds good."

"It isn't anything like that. I hate them, those Shanes. I hate my name. I hate MYSELF!" he yelled the last word real loud and then turned around, his back to me

"Twist" I put my hand on his shoulder and he shrugged it off. He took a few breaths and relaxed, I could see his shoulders raise and lower rhythmically. He brought his hands and rubbed it across his face from the forehead to his chin.

"Do you know why I hate them?" he asked me then, turning around and looked at me in the eyes- teal against crimson.

"No," I shook my head. He sighed.

"Well, when I was a young boy, about ten years, my dad and me, we visited an old mine that had stopped being used. We worked as smugglers. My dad wanted to be a painter and I loved his paintings a lot. It had this sort of a magical aura to it. But when he began selling it, not many came to buy. Those few, who did, paid very less money for it. It wasn't enough." He sighed then sat on a stone. I sat on the ground in front of him and put my hand on his knee, urging him to continue. "Then, to feed our family, he had to steal and smuggle out goods. Well then, Will Shane came and, well, I was there very much in front of him, and then -" He broke off, unable to continue.

The Lady had told me that Twist's dad was killed by Will Shane and he was desperate to have his revenge on him. But I didn't know that this was the story. The first time I had come to visit her, against my will, I had seen him lean across a door and when I passed, he glared at me, looking up. At that moment I had want nothing more than to get out of there, after I was done with the damn visit. But then she recruited me and we were put in the same batch, as the Lady put it. We were supposed to work together, help each other in the time of need. But I didn't know how I was to help and support him when he hated me from the bottom of his heart.

But now... he wasn't bad. Neither was I. We were just in the same boat. He lost his family. And I had lost mine. At the end of the story, I had to wipe off the tears, flowing down.

When he asked, "Wait am I a good story teller?" that brought a smile on my face. I looked at him. he grinned back. "Well come on then," he stretched his arms and feet and stood up offering a hand to me. "Your brother's going to be worried for you."

"Poor thing," I said as I dusted my pants. It was awkward that Will Shane wasn't my dad, although he'd taken very good care of me. I mean I admired him a lot. Who doesn't?

"Hope to see you soon, I-am-not-a-Shane girl." He waved at me before disappearing with the Thugglet Slug. That always had given me the creeps. I wondered where Twist was.

Cross jumped onto my shoulder and nuzzled me. "Aw... thanks sweetie." I said as I gave him a befitting scratch. I was really glad that I had such a faithful arsenal. Twist too had a faithful arsenal, only they'd been ghouled, their Slug energy had been corrupted. My Mecha was standing all by itself, faithful to me. I knew I was betraying Eli, and so I decided to name my SPD Model Mecha, "I love you Speed. Thank you for being faithful to me. Thank you."

* * *

 **I'd mentioned before that Twist is one of my favourite characters and so I felt that giving a back story on Twist's life would be a befitting tribute to him. My Slug-It-Out character too is Twist. Anyways, yeah... nice shock to all of you...**

 **Favourite, Follow and Review too. And also it would be great if someone could post a link to watch** **SlugTerra** **:** **Eastern** **Caverns** **online free in the reviews.**

 **Thanks for everything. See you soon**


	6. Suspicions

**Hi guys. Hoping all's well with you. This is a new chapter. (No, no, no! This is the story continuation...) LOL. That was funny! Anyways a new chapter... enjoy...**

 **I hope you read the chapters once again to see if Rose called Will Shane her father anywhere. There is no direct indication!**

 **HA! I knew I caught you...**

 **I know I promised flipping between Rose and Eli's POV, but I knew I just had to put this...**

* * *

 **TRIXIE**

I knew something was wrong when I saw Eli come back home all alone, a bag in his hand and no Rose behind him. When I asked him about it, he just smiled and pulled me into an emotional kiss as his lips crushed over mine. I guess we kissed for quite a long time, his hand in my hair and all, because the clearing of a throat came up behind us and we broke apart hastily. Kord was staring angrily at us, a jack-hammer in his hand.

"Keep your business private, please." Kord then walked away and slammed the door. He shut it with a BAM!

"What's wrong with him?" Eli asked, apparently staring at the now-locked door.

"He was trying out new upgrades on his Mecha. Probably they didn't come out well." I shrugged. "What's in the bag?" I asked as I reached out for it but he swung it out of my reach.

"Oh no, you don't do that, Sting." He smiled in an awkward way. Burpy was in his SlugTube, snoring in sleep. Sure, we had been in tougher situations where he used my surname to imply on something, but when he did this time, I knew something was wrong.

"Where's Rose?"I asked peeping over him without straining my hand. It was healing well and I didn't want to break it anymore than it already was. Dad had called the previous night to tell how he was sorry he couldn't come that day, but I could see the toll his overtaxed job was taking on him. I had spoken to Eli about it but wanted to keep it private. I had no idea as to what he had planned. Well he had promised he would, but still...

"Have you spoken to my father?" I asked.

"Huh? No, I thought I'd do it now. Rose has gone for some business deal she had to fulfil. She won't be back until late evening." He shrugged. There was something in him that had changed. "Trix?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"There are a few things that I need to do. Don't call me until dinner." He gave a peck on my cheek before he took the stairs and vanished into his room in a minute.

I knew something was wrong. And I also knew it had something to do with Rose.

* * *

That night when she came home, all jolly and good, I decided to ask her. "Did you two have a fight?"

She shrugged, trying to open a can of juice for dinner. "I don't know. After I told him I wanted to meet my client, he left without a thought, although there was some hesitation before." She too frowned in thought as I cut the chicken. Rose had talked me into preparing a special dinner for the Gang for having helped her in the time of trouble. She insisted in spite of my words, telling it was Shanai's Special dish, _the_ _Unbeatable_ _Master_ made only on special occasions. She'd learnt, she said, when she observed and did her own experiments. After many whole-hearted unsuccessful tries, she said she'd perfected the dish and wanted us to have that little part of the Master within us.

"You must taste it. You'll just love it." she kept on praising. But I could see that there was something different in the way she spoke, something as dark as a secret and a bit guilty too. I then and there knew something had happened between the two of them, something she didn't want to share with me. I didn't press her too. It felt more intruding to barge in her thoughts and extract the incident between them. So I kept silent.

He came out for Dinner. He looked all tired and somehow sleep-deprived. I put a hand on his shoulder as he and the other men came in rubbing their hands in happiness and desperation to eat the dish. Rose said that she wanted to serve herself and I agreed. Besides I couldn't quite argue with her. Who knew, she could use the Master's technique and get it her way? So I sat down and began taking out the lids.

* * *

"What's all this?" he asked, utterly confused in a cute way. I leaned over to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek. Pronto cough-cleared his throat.

"Ahem, there are a few rooms free if you must have your moments." Kord shrugged as he pointed to Eli's room upstairs. Eli frowned at him.

"Shanai's recipe, eh?" he asked Rose who smiled and boxed his ears in a sisterly fashion and Eli grinned, that set me thinking, _if they had a fight, why would Eli and Rose behave like this?_

"You okay, Trix?" Eli asked as he gave a look that said, _you don't look fine._

I stared at him, that being the first time he had actually done something genuine the whole afternoon and night.

"Huh, yeah." I said as he got distracted by Rose serving him a bowl of rice. On the tray she had just set on the table where they were sitting, there was a brown plate on which diced Chicken was decorated by fresh tasty leaves. There was red soup in a bowl and in a white one there was white rice along with a pair of Chopsticks.

"What is this?" Kord asked as he took the chop-sticks in his hand. They looked so small and weak in front of him; I smiled. Rose leaned over him and fixed the chopsticks to the right grasping method. She then pointed out her own as it snip-snapped at Kord as she sat down in her seat.

"Shanai's wonderful recipe. Perfected by me." She smiled and began eating. It was no longer than a minute before one of the bowls slipped and the soup spilled. Rose, angry, got up to clean it and frowned at Pronto for spilling his food and decided that he wasn't to get anything else.

Eli was eating silently deep in thought, to my dismay, staring at Rose intently. That had to mean something _had_ happened to them that morning! I was so jubilant, but I knew they wouldn't tell me anything. Neither would I force them, I decided. He knew the trick of eating with chopsticks and I too realised it after sometime. Both the siblings were eating taking real small balls of rice with their chopsticks. I too got it when I tried it. Rose gave me a High-Chop Stick. And we laughed. It was a pleasant moment that time when Eli too smiled.

In the end he congratulated Rose, "Awesome Dish, Rosie. No one could've done it better." earning a look from me. He shrugged and rubbed his neck in an embarrassing way. And he went helping Rose put away the dishes when the two of them had a quick word with other. They smiled a little and Rose punched her brother in his arm. He gave a light groan and smiled at her.

But there was something different about that smile, something regretful and guilty and also sad. Even his sister gave a weak smile. It was as if they knew what was going on but neither took the trouble telling it to each other. Well, neither did they take the trouble to tell me. And I didn't like anyone keeping secrets.

"Eli wants me to see something that belongs to Will." Rose smiled and went to her room after telling me.

"Whatever it is, I will find it out once and for all." I promised myself and decided to eavesdrop on them that night. The secret had to come out. Once and for all.

* * *

 **Alright, the next chapter is planned out and I have to just type it. To be frank, I have no idea as to how long this Fan Fiction might be. Probably around 16-18 chapters, but I can't really promise. Anyways, Read, Review, Favorite and Follow...**

 **Love you all.**


	7. Shocking Memories

**HI guys,**

 **A new chapter in their lives... I was desperate to write this chapter. At last, it's done! You'll probably kill me on reading this. (This chapter is why this is rated T)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **ROSE**

His room was opened when I pushed it. The room was pretty much simple for a Shane. In all the time I spent with Will Shane, never had I entered his room. It was prohibited for me, come what may. I could see why.

Eli's room was a mess – I meant that there were clothes spread over his bed and his desk was full of books writing instruments. On one of the walls a map of the 99 caverns hung. There were a lot of black scratches on it. The bed was neat enough, placed in the corner of the room. There were posters of some music bands and the photos of the Shane gang just over the head of the bed. Diagonally opposite to the bed was a wardrobe into the wall. It was slightly open. There was a washroom door beside it and the light was on. Deciding to give him his privacy, I didn't call Eli out.

The slugs were playing with the slug tube and shooting themselves across the room. I laughed and patted them. Burpy remembered me as much as I remembered him.

"Hey there, hot guy." I scratched his head and the slug chirped in a sweet way and got back to playing their games. Smirking, I got back to admiring his room but decided only thing I could like about it was it was messy.

Instead of waiting around, I began clearing his table. I put my hair in a knot and pushed a stray strand behind my ear. I swore to make him clean his room some day. There were a few sports magazine and one on Mecha upgrades. Probably Kord lent those to him. Under a pencil stand was a rather old book, a book I didn't remember from my stay with the previous Shane. I pulled the book and blew it. It was dusty and the dust went quite through my nose. I sneezed, covering my nose.

After the sneezes were done, I turned the cover and flipped through the pages of the book. The pages were yellowed with age, there were a few pictures in the book but I couldn't get anything, was unable to understand anything. And a voice startled me.

"Hey, didn't call out, did you?"

I jumped as I spun around, instinctively. Eli was standing in front of the wardrobe going through his stuff.

"No, you were inside. Didn't want to disturb you." I smiled as he put on a loose grey shirt over his blue shorts.

"Yeah, thanks. I already have things on my to-do list. Thanks for not increasing the length." he answered a little harshly which made me look up at him from the book I realised I still was holding. I put it down hastily. My brother then looked at me; I gasped. There were dark circles below his eyes and his face was dulled.

"Eli! Are you fine?" I tried to put my hand on him, but he shrugged it away.

"I am. Rose, just sit on the bed." I frowned a little and sat on the bed. The slugs hoped towards me and Burpy jumped onto me. I patted him sadly. The slug looked at me questioningly and then at Eli who was drinking from a glass I hadn't seen before. The slug flitted between me and the Shane and then frowned. The Infernus then hopped all the way to my brother while the other slugs just rolled about on the bed lazily (literally)  
"Hey, Burps." Eli picked the slug and placed him on his shoulder then looked at me. "The dish was good." He gave a tired smile.

I smiled back. "Thanks." He then sat beside me on the bed. Both the Slinger and the Slug had a look before the slug hopped off the shoulder and rounded off the other Slugs out of the room. Before he left the room, the Infernus winked at me and gave a toothy grin.

"Ha-ha," Eli laughed, apparently looking at the little guys with me. I smiled too. It felt so good to be with him, in his room. After the slugs left, there was an awkward silence.

"Didn't know you were into music." I said, breaking the silence.

"What, uh, yeah. I listen to songs rather than to sing them. But it's cool, either way." He pitched in; probably glad to have something to talk about. He fidgeted with his hair, a sign I realised to be of nervousness. "Not thinking about him, are you?" He asked after a moment.

I jumped, wondering if he was talking about Twist, but then I relaxed, he was talking about his father.

"Yeah, somewhat." I shrugged still looking around his room. "You ought to clean your room Eli, it's terrible. How do you sleep here?"

"Nah, I don't." When I gave him a look, he sighed. "With Trixie, duh."

"What?"

"Nothing," he stuck his tongue out sneakily.

I laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." I pushed his cheek jokingly.

"You're awesome Rose." Eli took my hand. "You always watch out for me and the Shane gang. Thank you." I gave a guilty smile. Here he was, trusting me while I was stabbing him in the back. His hands made it slowly to my shoulders. "Do you remember the stories dad used to tell?"

I smiled. "The one with the Dark Face."

"Yeah. That used to be fun." He smiled as he pushed a strand behind my ear. "And the Sunshine Flow?" he stared at me in an awkward way, almost greedily and hungry, making my hair stand on its ends..

"Yes." I sighed. Then he cupped my face in his hands.

"This is why I love you Rose." He smiled. What happened next, I didn't even anticipate in my wildest dreams: Eli pressed his lips hard on mine. His hands enveloped my body. My eyes widened and I tried to push him away, but he was strong. _There was something different about him_ , Trixie had told me. Now I knew what it was.

I couldn't do anything; it was hopeless, much like the time I had been kidnapped. And against my will, memories flashed.

* * *

 _She opened her eyes and found herself to be in a small dark room. The girl thought maybe she had been there for two days. She called out loudly in her squeaky voice, "Mama? Papa?"_

 _And then began crying loudly when she got no response. At once the door creaked open and the girl looked on eagerly. But neither Mama, nor Papa came but instead a tall fair man came inside, his hand, his hand folded back neatly. He carried an aura of command and respect, flanked on both sides by two guards in grey uniform._

" _This is the one?"He had a raspy voice; as he spoke, his olive green eyes hovered over her menacingly._

" _Yes, doctor. The girl was found in the Shane's house. Do you think she might be his daughter?"The guard asked as he wheezed_

" _Let's see," the man stroked his goatee. "What is your name, child?" he asked carefully._

" _Rose. I am six years old." She answered._

" _Rose," He hummed. "Very nice name." He mused. "Where are Mum and Dad?"_

" _I don't know. They'll come, I know It." she answered._

" _Oh yes they did. They're here right now." The man smiled as he clapped his hands. Three guards brought in a struggling couple. The lady had brown hair and the man black hair. Both had startling crimson eyes like the daughter._

" _Rosie!" the mother tried to reach out for the girl but she couldn't. She kept on trying to reach Rose while the other man snapped at the man._

" _Thaddeus, what do you want from us? Our daughter? How is she of any use to you?"_

 _The man, Thaddeus, laughed. "Jason, Jason, dear old friend. Won't you be a little bit patient? And my," He put his hand dramatically on his heart. "Look how lovely Amelia is."_

" _Let go of us, Blakk. What did we ever do to you?" Amelia cried._

" _You didn't do anything." Blakk sneered. "Your fate did everything." The man raised his blaster and aimed at the couple now frantic for their daughter's life._

" _Rose dear, did your parents come?" the man asked. The girl didn't know what to say. She was confused; after all she was only six._

" _Yes, now free them" She spoke bravely._

" _As you wish." The blaster was running; Thaddeus was raising it to aim at the couple._

" _Sweet heart, Mama loves you. Papa loves you." Amelia spoke, her eyes filling with tears. The girl didn't understand anything - She was far too young. Then Jason's eyes widened as Thaddeus' blaster fired and a Geoshard, Velocimorphed and fired into the parents. At such a close range, to survive was not possible._

 _Both the parent crumpled onto the floor Frozen in a crystal cocoon. Blakk left the room and the next moment the door shut, the lock clicking into place. Rose ran towards her parents. She hit them lightly on their face, urging them to wake up, that this was just a bad dream. But, no. Whatever she was doing, it was fruitless._

 _Then Jason spoke. "Baby, come here." The girl startled, looked at her father's face cringed in pain. "Come."_

 _She scrambled to him and put a hand on his face, "Papa?"_

" _You need to get out of here." He spoke, coughing in between._

" _Mama?" Rose asked, looking at the lifeless body of the mother._

" _Don't worry," Jason consoled Rose. "Mama has gone to Grandma. She will be okay there." He coughed a last time and the girl's tears began flowing again. "Will Shane,"_

 _That's it. His hand that he was raising, to caress his daughter, dropped. The girl began crying plopping on her father's body and crying her heart out. From behind blasters fired and the door crash-opened._

" _Stop, him." Someone from outside yelled. The intruder had smooth features, his blue eyes comforting, and his hair was pulled back like as though it was gelled. He stretched his hand as he looked at the crying child._

" _Come," then his gaze fell on the bodies. "Oh, no!" His eyes widened at the sight of the bodies. The girl stared at him, anger evident in her eyes_

" _GO AWAY!" she yelled. The man looked around and a slug which was on his shoulder, hopped down. It nodded at the Slinger who went out and began firing. There was a war going out there._

 _The slug hopped and settled itself on her lap. Rose tried to shoo the Slug, but it didn't budge. Forgetting all about her parents, the girl concentrated on hitting the slug, the small child that she was. The slug took away all her concentration and when she managed to catch it something clicked in her head._

" _Will!" she yelled._

 _The slug chirped and clapped its Slug-like hands. There was thundering outside and the Slinger came back._

" _Burpy," the slug nodded._

" _Will!" Rose shouted and hugged him around the waist._

" _Hush, we'll be okay." Will had one look at the dead couple and his heart doubled, pumping blood and Adrenalin. "I will avenge you Jason, Amelia." Then he turned around._

 _They ran through labyrinthine corridors and they emerged out into bright light. They hadn't encountered any guards. Will took off in one direction and Rose followed him, Burpy still in her hand. At the junction there was a man waiting with two Mechas._

" _Did you find her?" the man asked as he straightened up on seeing Will running._

" _Yeah," he put his hands on the knees at he took breaths, to ease his pumped up heart._

" _Jason and Amelia?" The dark man asked, again as he looked behind Will. The girl was standing there, the Infernus chirping in her hand._

" _No, Tom. They're gone." There was a long silence in which both the men looked at each other and then looked down. Silent tears ran down Tom's face._

" _They're not gone." The girl piped up, smiling. The men looked at her. "They've just gone to live with grandma. That's what Papa told Me." the girl smiled as she held out the Infernus. The men looked at each other, Will got down on his knee, stretching out his hand, and the slug hopped onto his shoulder._

" _Yes, they've gone to be with your Grandma. Now they expect you to be a good girl. You will, wont you?"_

" _When can I meet them?" the girl asked eagerness on her face._

" _We'll see." Will shrugged. "First you'll have to grow up. Will you?"_

" _Yeah, I will."_

 _The man smiled. "Hi, I'm Will Shane. This is Tom Por." Will gestured to the tall dark man who waved at her._

" _Want to go home?" he asked her and Rose nodded. Will Shane lifted her and placed her on the Mecha. Let's get going then."_

" _I am Rose." She said as they were racing across the caverns._

 _Will Shane smiled. "I know, Rose. Jason was my cousin."_

* * *

Fresh from the Flashback, I gasped when I saw that Eli was kissing me, his mouth moving against mine as his hands slid over my waist. I tried pushing him away but he didn't move. His mouth tasted like... alcohol?

Eli! Eli had drunk. But why?

He slid his hands below my shirt, which was the last straw. I put my arms over his shoulders and traced his back to a pressure point that would hurt him terribly, the small of his back. Only one thought ran in my mind as I searched was: _Eli I'm sorry, so sorry._

When I found it, I needed to position myself. So I sat on him and he happened to feel happy. Getting my chance, my thumb stabbed into his back and we broke apart, him yelling in pain. I kicked him in his gut and had a look at myself in the mirror. I was in complete chaos: my hair was dishevelled and my eyes were blood-shot with my mascara smudged everywhere, my face was flushed and my shirt, oh, my god, torn to pieces. I rummaged through his wardrobe and found an old black shirt that said, FIRE POWER 101! In a bag, there were a few Drinks which I smashed; the dark liquid flowed through the room.

I scrambled away to the door and before I turned the knob I just had a look at him, he was on the bed, and his eyes squeezed shut, tears rolling down the side as he reached out for his back. I gave a sad look before opening the door and running out. I crashed into Trixie.

"Hey, watch where -" she stopped on seeing me, her eyes widening. "Rose! What happened?" but she didn't get a reply as I rushed past her. The others were apparently playing Video games in the living room and stood up on seeing me.

"Rose?" Kord scratched his head.

"Who did this to you?" Trixie asked, putting her hand on me, but I shrugged it off harshly. Looking at their faces, it was clear that they had no idea of Eli and me –

"Get Lost! ALL OF YOU!" I screamed. "I should never have come here! I hate you all!" I screamed once again before collapsing on the ground, crying loudly. Trixie bent down beside me.

"Rose -"

"Get Out! ALL OF YOU!" I yelled. As I pushed the injured girl away and ran into the night, sobbing loudly, leaving confused minds and a destroyed mind.

What had happened? Eli had drunk. Why? No idea.

I had failed everyone. As I collapsed on the ground, my eyes brimming up, I made a decision. It was enough. I couldn't bear her anymore and the only way to do that was to do as she said...

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that. I know it was a little disturbing... insulting Eli and all... but be patient... Eli, drinking, has a reason.**

 **See you next week...**


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